FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Columbia Public Works
(573) 874-7250

Snow Operations Update - Wednesday, February 5, 9:00 am

COLUMBIA, MO (February 5, 2014) -

The City has moved several crews into residential neighborhoods overnight, utilizing smaller equipment, backhoes, and pick-ups to plow residential streets, and keeping larger snow plow trucks on priority routes to maintain passable conditions. Primary streets are still snow covered but generally passable; however, winds and light snow are causing crews to also fight snow drifts on priority routes.

The residential efforts will have a special focus on trash collection routes that have fallen behind with the winter weather, starting first with Tuesday collection routes, and then moving on to Wednesday, and so on. With the cross-departmental efforts, crews will also be able to make some early progress in northeast Columbia, using some available backhoes already in that area from Water and Light.

Road crews were out all day yesterday plowing priority routes and maintaining passable conditions on Columbia's primary roads, utilizing many departments to speed up the snow removal process for customers. Crews from Parks and Recreation, Water and Light, Parking Utilities, Sewer Utilities, and Solid Waste divisions all pitched in to help plow streets, as well as contracted hauling services to remove snow from the central business district.

Crews are also using a salt and cinder mixer for added traction in some areas to improve safety for customers.

Columbia Public Works thanks customer for helping crews by moving their cars off of priority routes to allow plows to get through, and asks them to please leave their cars off the routes until the priority routes are no longer being plowed. Customers will be notified when cars can be moved back to priority routes online, on social media, press releases, and by the subscribed NIXLE alert system.

Customers can get more information, updates on road conditions and the City's snow management efforts at www.comosnow.com and on the Public Works Facebook and Twitter pages.